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UN Describes 2022 as ‘Deadliest Year’ in West Bank Since 2006

An Israeli soldier at one of the main entrances to Nablus in the West Bank (EPA)
An Israeli soldier at one of the main entrances to Nablus in the West Bank (EPA)
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UN Describes 2022 as ‘Deadliest Year’ in West Bank Since 2006

An Israeli soldier at one of the main entrances to Nablus in the West Bank (EPA)
An Israeli soldier at one of the main entrances to Nablus in the West Bank (EPA)

The UN described 2022 as the "deadliest year since 2006" in the West Bank due to the continuous increase in violence.

The UN Acting Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Lucia Elmi, said that with the killing of at least 105 Palestinians, including 26 children, by the Israeli forces, 2022 has been the deadliest year since 2006, on a monthly average, for Palestinians residing in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The UN statement documented a 57 percent increase in the monthly average of Palestinian fatalities compared to last year.

The coordinator said that since October, 15 Palestinians, including six children, have been killed by the occupation forces in search-and-arrest operations, exchange of fire, or in confrontations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, often following settler attacks or incursions into Palestinian villages.

The UN official ruled out that the victims posed a concrete or imminent threat to justify lethal force, raising concerns about the excessive use of force.

Elmi emphasized that the United Nations is concerned about increasing movement restrictions. Earlier this month, after two Israeli soldiers were shot and killed at checkpoints in Nablus and East Jerusalem, Israeli forces imposed extensive movement restrictions, limiting access of many to health care, education, and livelihoods.

"In Shu'fat refugee camp, these restrictions have largely been lifted, but they remain in place in Nablus. Huwwara, one of Nablus city's only access points, has also seen an increase in the severity and frequency of settler violence."

On Wednesday, the Israeli forces continued its blockade on Nablus for the ninth day, aiming to deter a new armed group in the city known as the "Aren al-Usud" group, which Israel accuses of being responsible for shootings around the city in the past few weeks.

Israel imposed a tight siege on Nablus, and the Israeli army tightened its grip on the main Hawara checkpoint while continuing to close other checkpoints, such as Deir Sharaf.

Israel targets Nablus and Jenin, in the northern West Bank, as a center of activity for Palestinians who carry out operations in Israel. It carries out frequent incursions into the cities, killing the most significant number of Palestinians there this year.

Israel killed 172 in all Palestinian territories this year, including 121 in the West Bank and 51 in the Gaza Strip, and injured over 800, including severe injuries to the head and chest.

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Israeli Army is Setting Up Rapid Response Unit on Border with Syria

Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)
Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)
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Israeli Army is Setting Up Rapid Response Unit on Border with Syria

Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)
Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)

The Israeli military has announced the formation of a special rapid response unit in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights to fend off threats from Syria, when necessary.

Commander of the 210th Bashan Division Lieutenant Colonel Yair Palai said the unit would operate as an effective attack force capable to launch in seconds and prevent threats on Israel similar to the one Hamas launched on October 7, 2023.

“The Unit will be prepared 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of events,” he said.

“In the case of any security incident, the Unit will strike the enemy mercilessly. There is no possibility of failure, because this unit depends on constant vigilance,” Palai said.

The unit, which is comprised of elite soldiers from reconnaissance units and special reserve units, will operate under the 210th Division.

Sources said the unit has fully mobilized and operated continuously over the past three months.

Its goal was initially to counter Iranian, Syrian, Yemeni, Iraqi or other militias that might operate from the Golan against Jewish settlements there.

But recent developments in Syria compelled the army to prepare for any additional threats.

Last week, Syrian army soldiers were killed in a major attack by opposition fighters led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, who swept into the city of Aleppo in the northwest, forcing the military to redeploy in the biggest challenge to President Bashar Assad in years.

On Tuesday, Haaretz said the Israeli military fears that amid the Syrian opposition assault and their taking over of military sites belonging to the Assad regime in the country, chemical weapons could fall into the wrong hands.

If such weapons fall into the hands of the opposition fighters or Iranian militias, Israel would have to act in a way that “may affect Syria and the entire Middle East,” according to Haaretz.

The report said that after the country's civil war, Assad tried to rebuild his chemical weapons production facilities, with most having been removed from Syria under an international agreement. But a substantial part of the chemical weapons project, particularly the knowledge accumulated over the years, still remains in Assad's hands.

Haaretz wrote that Israel has relayed messages to the Syrian regime via the Russians insisting that Assad assert his sovereignty and bar Iran from operating from within Syria.

“The army is monitoring with concern the surprise Syrian rebel offensive on Assad strongholds in Syria that began last week,” it said.

Also, intelligence officials believe that while the Syrian president's standing has been weakened, Iran, with Russia's support, is exploiting the chaos in order to send in tens of thousands of fighters from the armed militias that support it.

According to Haaretz, the army's current estimate is that there are 40,000 Iranian militia fighters in Syria.

In tandem with the ceasefire with Hezbollah, the Israeli army has been carrying out strikes almost daily on the border between Syria and Lebanon in order to thwart attempts to smuggle weaponry destined for Hezbollah.

Although to date there is no firm evidence that the Iranian forces plan to station themselves in Damascus, the newspaper said one Israeli diplomatic official involved in the discussions referred to this on Sunday as a known fact. “Iran has begun to send an influx of forces into Syria in an attempt to aid Assad and suppress the revolt,” he said.